title: Elevated risk of mortality among gout patients: a comparison with the national population in Taiwan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Accumulating evidence suggests that gout is associated with increased overall and cardiovascular mortality. Using data from a large consecutive cohort of gout sufferers who were followed for 8 years, we investigated mortality among gout sufferers and compared the results with data from the general population of Taiwan.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study comprised 6631 people who had gout diagnosis at outpatient department of the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in 2000. Survival status and cause of death were ascertained by examining the National Death Registry of Taiwan through 2008.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During 53,048 person-years of follow-up in 6631 gout patients, 1273 (male, 941; female, 332) deaths were identified, corresponding to the crude mortality rate was 21.3 (male, 20.0; female, 26.1) per 1000 patient-years, which was significantly higher than that of the national population. As compared with the national population of Taiwan in 2000, the all-cause standardized mortality ratio (95% confidence interval) was 1.29 (1.21-1.37) for men and 1.70 (1.53-1.89) for women. Both men and women in this cohort had higher standardized mortality ratios for death due to kidney diseases (men, 3.10; women, 3.54), endocrine and metabolic diseases (men, 2.24; women, 2.71), and cardiovascular diseases (men, 1.58; women, 1.81). Multivariate Cox regression showed no difference in mortality between genders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Individuals with gout have increased mortality risk in both sexes; however, the extent of risk increment is higher in women. Kidney diseases, endocrine and metabolic diseases, and cardiovascular diseases are primary causes of death.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan County, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chang-Fu
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: Kuang-Hui
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Lai-Chu
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: See
authors.forename: I-Jun
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: Wen-Yi
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Tseng
authors.forename: Hsiao-Chun
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Yu-Ming
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Shue-Fen
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Luo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology / Q000401:mortality*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006073:Gout / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology / Q000401:mortality*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology / Q000401:mortality*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D015996:Survival Rate; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology